NEDERLAND, Texas — The Nederland Heritage Festival has been canceled by the coronavirus pandemic this year.
Festival organizers announced the 2021 cancellation in a Facebook post Monday.
"A lot of you have been wondering and we appreciate your patience," organizers said in the Facebook post. "Know this was a mutual and difficult decision made by our organization and the city.
"We appreciate the community’s support and look forward to serving you as safely as we can in a very limited manner this year with hopes of serving you again fully in 2022."
The Nederland Heritage Festival did not cancel in March 2020 when the South Texas State Fair canceled.
Organizers originally announced the festival would be closed March 13, 2020, but then posted an update on Facebook after speaking to Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick about an emergency order restricting large gatherings, which was not set to go in effect until the following week.
The Nederland Heritage Festival was started in the 1970s and is usually held every year in mid March. The festival marked its 45th anniversary in 2018.
Full statement by the Nederland Heritage Festival...
On behalf of the Nederland Heritage Festival and City of Nederland
The Nederland Heritage Festival organization prides itself on providing family-friendly, safe events for Nederland and surrounding communities. For 47 years, we have successfully accomplished this mission.
In light of the current public health crisis and taking into consideration the safety of our community, we have made the difficult decision to not proceed in hosting the annual Heritage Festival during Spring Break. This decision was not made lightly and included detailed discussions with the Heritage Festival organization, City of Nederland, and local health authorities.
We are pleased to announce the following events will take place with the proper safety protocols in place:
- Nederland Heritage Festival Pageants - Feb. 5 and 6
- Nederland Heritage Festival Golf Tournament - March 6
- Nederland Heritage Festival Fun Run - March 7
We look forward to hosting the Nederland Heritage Festival again in 2022.
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